Brain Imaging of Dementia Required in Clinical Diagnostic Purposes : Based on Pathological Background

Abstract

  This article presents a review of the methods for assessing brain images of patients with dementia required in clinical diagnostic purposes. Each dementing disorder shows a different predilection with regard to brain lesions ; therefore, demarcation of the cerebral lobes and identification of the limbic system are necessary for accurate diagnosis. Pathologically, neuronal loss and reactive tissue changes, due to degeneration and accumulation of protein, are observed in atrophic lesions, which show reduced blood flow on single-photon emission computed tomography. Some diseases show abnormal high signals on magnetic resonance imagings (MRI) , on the basis of which clinical diagnosis is made. Pathological background of abnormal signal changes on MRI differs according to diseases. In future, use of imaging techniques for visualizing accumulation of degenerated protein in the brain tissue, for example tau-positron emission tomography, is expected in clinical setting.